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As per the 2017 World Economic Forum and their Global Gender Gap Report, it has been found out that female talent has been seen to be the most underutilized resource in the business sector. Particularly in industries like finance, this is even clearer. As the career level increases in the financial industry, the numbers of female representatives keep declining. Though it is a fact that 48% of the financial employees are female, sadly at the executive level, the figure is just 15%.
There are several women all over the world who are breaking all barriers while playing the roles of financial executives. A few people interviewed 7 such women who belonged to the Forbes Finance Council and they chose to take a look at their experiences and provided some valuable advice to others. Here are few things you should know about them.
#1: The gender gap is both an opportunity and a challenge
There isn’t any secret that the finance industry is entirely dominated by the male population. The finance industry is an ‘old-boys club’ and the majority of the men have entered this industry because their college alumni or their father belonged to this industry. This is why women find it hard to break into this industry because there were never too many women who belonged to this periphery. One of the biggest professional challenges has been to break the mold of being a middle-aged man to earn some credibility, but when you have the perfect outlook; all challenges will seem to be an opportunity.
#2: Finance is More than Just Money
Among the women who were interviewed, making a career in finance was not just about paying the bills. The most common factor in their decision to follow this career path was to make a difference in people’s financial life. And with over 3/4 of Americans finding it extremely difficult to save money, we need strong financial leaders now more than ever.
#3: A Finance Professional Never Stops Learning
Besides altruism, the women also reported stimulation of their intellect as the main motivating factor in their careers. They also claimed that the financial markets are impacted by almost everything from politics to climate change and no two days seem to be alike in this market. The women who are interested in shaping their finance career should have broader understanding of the functions which are available. This way they can move down the path which intrigues them most.
#4: Women are the future of finance
Women these days aren’t happy to live with the status quo. They’re all finding their own business and they’re engaging in supporting brand new initiatives that can develop the business culture. With the popularity of financial technology (fintech for short), both the fintech companies and financial institutions are all embracing the new narratives.
Therefore, if you’re a woman who is interested in the field of finance, you should learn the above-listed things from the women who are involved in the financial industry.
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